During Consort Xin's postpartum confinement period, Xu Lejin's belly swelled up as if it had been inflated.
She was just over six months pregnant, about the same size as a normal full-term baby.
The palace servants of Yikun Palace are serving her with even greater care and caution!
In mid-June, because Xu Lejin was pregnant with twins and was very likely to give birth prematurely, Xie was ordered by the emperor to enter the palace ahead of time to accompany Xu Lejin during her delivery. Accompanying her were her eldest sister Xu Chujin and her ninth sister Xu Yujin.
Xu Chujin and Xu Yujin married the legitimate sons of the Suochuoluo and Tatara families, not the eldest sons, so they didn't need to manage the household. They had sons and daughters and were happy to live a leisurely life.
In contrast, the other sisters, who shared the same mother, were much more reserved.
The woman, Xie, who was over fifty years old, frowned slightly as she looked at Xu Lejin's large belly and said softly, "Your Majesty, I see that your belly is so big. Could it be that you are carrying twins?"
When Xie received the imperial decree to enter the palace, she had her suspicions.
One is that concubines in the harem are only allowed to have their family members enter the palace to accompany them during childbirth when they are eight months pregnant. However, her daughter, Consort Yu, is only seven months pregnant this time.
Seven months later, the emperor summoned the bride's family to the palace to accompany her during childbirth, and in eight or nine out of ten cases, it was twins.
Secondly, the sight of her daughter with her large belly reminded Xie of the triplets born in the thirteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign and the twins born in the nineteenth year of his reign.
Thirdly, Xie recalled the snippets of conversation that had circulated in the palace before.
Xu Lejin nodded slightly, "The imperial physician's diagnosis confirms it is indeed twins, but the two children are mischievous, so it's not immediately clear whether they are fraternal twins (a boy and a girl) or two princes."
After speaking, Xu Lejin looked down at her belly with a loving expression.
Madam Xie was stunned upon hearing this. Xu Chujin and Xu Yujin, who were standing to the side, quickly exchanged a glance. Xu Chujin smiled and said, "Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune. Whether it is twins or two princes, they are all excellent."
"Um."
Xu Lejin responded softly, her gaze turning to Xu Chujin.
After a moment of contemplation, Xu Lejin smiled and said, "Eldest sister is also blessed. In ten years, she has given birth to seven nephews. Now, there are rumors in the palace that eldest sister has a lucky fate for bringing prosperity to her husband and children."
"Your Majesty is too kind to me."
Xu Chujin lowered her head slightly, looking embarrassed, and said, "I do hope to have a daughter, but unfortunately, I have only given birth to naughty boys over the years."
"When it comes to having both sons and daughters, Ninth Sister is the best. She has three sons and three daughters, including two sets of twins (a boy and a girl)."
Xu Lejin smiled gently, her gaze falling on the quiet Ninth Sister, Xu Yujin, standing to the side.
After a moment's hesitation, Xu Lejin spoke softly, "Eldest sister and ninth sister are both extremely fortunate. Eldest sister is still young, only in her early thirties; in a few years, she will surely achieve her wishes."
Xu Lejin paused, her expression turning serious.
"Just one thing, eldest sister and ninth sister, you should still pay attention to your health. You can't neglect your bodies and force yourself to get pregnant just for the sake of having children."
Xu Chujin and Xu Yujin exchanged a glance and respectfully replied, "Yes."
The two secretly agreed that they really should take better care of their health. Having had so many children over the years, although they had secured their positions as the legal wife, had also...
As he got older, the husband began to take concubines!
Men are lustful, but their love fades as their beauty diminishes.
Not only should they take care of their health, but the other sisters should too. They must not let themselves grow old and lose their beauty in order to have children, thus betraying the Empress's painstaking planning over the years.
at night
Xie stayed behind alone to speak with Xu Lejin.
After hesitating for a moment, Xie lowered her voice and spoke softly, "Your Majesty, I don't quite understand, what about Consort Shun and Consort Xin in your palace?"
"It's one thing for Consort Shun to have a princess, but what about Consort Xin?"
Looking up at the outside of the hall, Xie continued, "Consort Xin's Ninth Prince is a prince. If Consort Xin and the Ninth Prince gain favor in the future, it will be only a matter of time before they become concubines or imperial consorts."
Upon hearing this, Xu Lejin smiled faintly and remained silent.
After drinking half a cup of tea, Xu Lejin took a sip and said slowly, "Mother, don't worry. I have the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, and I'm pregnant with another child."
"Although the Third Prince went to the heavens to cultivate, the Fourth Prince is highly regarded by the Emperor."
After a slight pause, Xu Lejin lowered her voice and said, "My second sister, fifteenth, seventeenth, twenty-first, and twenty-fourth sisters married into the imperial family. My eldest sister and ninth sister's husbands' families are from the Suochuoluo and Tatara clans, respectively."
"Eldest sister and Ninth sister are still young. In a few years, when they give birth to their nieces, there will be a chance for them to be betrothed to Ninth Prince, the son of Consort Xin, as his wives."
Xu Lejin curled her lips and raised her eyebrows.
"At worst, we can wait until my fifth brother and his future wife get married and have a niece."
Upon hearing this, Xie fell into deep thought.
Actually, from Xie's purely ancient perspective, if Xu Lejin truly helped her maternal clan, why wasn't it the Fourth Prince, or the child in her womb?
It's like a marriage between close relatives; the cousins are childhood sweethearts.
A few days later
Early in the morning, the magpies in Yikun Palace chirped merrily incessantly.
Xu Lejin found the magpie's calls annoying, but then she frowned slightly, wondering if there was another happy event in the palace today, and the magpie was announcing the good news.
In the afternoon, Xu Lejin suddenly felt a warm flow in her lower body.
With a change in expression, Xu Lejin immediately realized that she was about to give birth, and hurriedly instructed Ruhua and Nongying to help her to the delivery room.
He instructed Liuying, Qingtan, and others to summon the imperial physician and report to Emperor Kangxi.
The labor started in the afternoon, and an hour later, Xu Lejin safely gave birth to two little princes.
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